Spring door hinge and check



June 4, 1940. M, w, HENRY srnme noon HINGE AND c'uscx Fi led Nov. 50, 1939 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IF: iii

//V///V7-0/P varray W 135 June 1940. M. w. HENRY srnme noon HINGE AND cimcx 2 Sheets-Sheet. 2

lllll ai'li "gar/A Filed Nov. 30, 1939 Patented June 4, 1940 oFFicE 'SPRING DOOR HINGE AND CHECK Murray W. Henry, San Antonio, Tex.

Application November 30, 1939, Serial No. 306,980 v I 6 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in spring door hinges and checks and its general object is to provide a device of'this character in'which the operating mechanism is concealedwithin the hinge and which provides for uniform. speed of closure.

, A further object'of my invention is to provide a device of this character in which a braking effeet is obtained when thedoor is opened and again when the door is being closed. I

Astill further object of my invention is to provide a device of this character, which is neat in appearance, compact, which maybe manufactured quite economically, and which may be readily installed,

A still further object of my invention is to provide a device of this characterwhereby the speed of the door closure may be readily adjusted from the exterior of the unit without disassembling. H I

With these and other objects in View, as will hereinafter more fully appear and which will be more particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference is now made to the accompanying drawings forming a part of this application, in which:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view'of my improved spring door hinge and check;

Fig. 2 is a central, vertical, longitudinal section view, with door in closed position; I

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the door partially opened;

Fig. 4 is a horizontal section view, taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 5 is a horizontal section view, taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows; v

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section view, taken on the 40 line 8-6 of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal section view, taken on the line 1-! of Fig. 2, looking in the direction of the arrows;

45 Fig. 8 is a detailed view, partly broken away,

showing the piston;

Fig. 9 is a detailed view, showing one of the metal discs;

Fig.. 10 is also a detailed View, showing another one of the metal discs; and

Fig. 11 is a detailed view, showing one of the composition or fibre discs.

Referring now tothe drawings in which similar reference characters represent similar parts,

my invention comprises conventional left and right hinge leaves, I0 and I2, provided with the usual circular holes, through which nails or screws maybe inserted to fasten the leaves to the'door and easing respectively. 7

While I have shown the leaf I0 asbeing the movingleaf, it will be understood that either, or both, of the leaves may move. Left' leaf I0 is provided with integrally formed cylindrical casings, l-land l6, while right leaf I2 is provided with similar casings l8 and 20. These casings interlock to form, with upper end portion 22 and lower end portion 24, theho-llow, cylindrical hinge or casing which contains the spring and checking mechanism. Referring now more particularly to Figs. 2 and of a spiral spring 28 engagingfthe slot in the bolt, the other end of the spiral spring being afiixed to arm 30', of upper end portion 22. The lower end of the slotted bolt is adapted to contact a metal cap 32, the bottom portion of which contacts the upper surface of the top metal disc 34, three of the discs 34 being shown, although any desired number may be used. Between these metal discs 34 are composition or fibre discs 36 andmetal discs 38, the metal and composition or fibre discsbeing alternately disposed. All the discs are adapted to fit over the top or square end of piston 40. I

. The lower end of piston40 is round and interposed between the cylinder 42, which is slidably mounted around the lower end of piston 40, and the bottom side of lower metal disc 34 is a coil spring 46. v

The extreme lower end of piston 40 terminates in a ratchet wheel 48, adapted to be engaged by pawl 50 which is pressed inwardly and held in engagement with the ratchet wheel under action of spring 52. Upper end portion 22 and lower end portion 24 are secured to the inside casing 54 by means of pins 56. pintle proper, is provided with grooves 58, for a distance adjacent either end, as shown in Figs. 2. and 3. These grooves. 58 are adapted to receive the lugs of the cylinder 42 and metal discs 34. The top portion of the inside casing 54 is held in position by means of pins 60 and an adjustable floating ring 62 is provided with a plurality of threaded openings 64, adapted'to receive threaded bolt 66, for the purpose of adjusting the tension of the outside or main coil spring 65, the top end of which is affixed to the floating ring 62. The

3, a slotted, threaded bolt is shown at 26, oneend The inside casing 54, or

bottom end of the main coil spring 65 is afiixed outside cylindrical casing by means of pins 88. The cylinder 42 is provided with a spiral cam groove 'Hl. Afiixed to the outside casing is a pin 12 which slides in cam groove H1, forcing the cylinder d2 upward as the door is opened, the cylinder being prevented from turning due to its lugs being slidably mounted in grooves 5%; of the inside casing.

In operation, as the door is opened the cylinder is forced upward under action of the pin 12, operating in the cam groove 10 of the cylinder. This compresses coil spring d6 against the series of discs and the cylinder. The composition discs 36, being interposed between the metal discs 34 and 3 creates a noiseless braking effect which is gradually increased until the opening movement of the door is stopped. During this opening movement, the piston turns and the pawl 59 rides over the retchets of wheel 58. The door then starts to close under the action of coil spring 55, and the pawl Ell engages ratchet wheel 48, turning the piston. The openings in metal discs 3%, being round, allows the piston to turn through these openings. The discs 34 are held against turning by' reason of the lugs of the discs being in position in the grooves 58 of the inside casing. The metal discs 38, having square openings to fit the piston, turn as the piston turns, and the composition discs 36, having round openings, do not-turn with the piston and thus a noiseless braking effect is obtained. The cylinder returns to, normal position as the door closes under actionof spring 36 and pin i2 operating in cam groove '59 of the cylinder.

When the hinge is assembled, spiral spring 28' is wound tightly, and the constant pressure exented byv this spring on the slotted bolt 26 keeps thebolt in contact with the metal cap 32. It will be apparent, therefore, that any shrinkage in the discs, due to wear, or other causes, will be automatically taken up by the slotted bolt under action of the spiral spring.

The composition or fibre discs may be made of such material as synthetic rubber, any well known fibre composition, Bakelite, asbestos compound, etc, and any desired'number of these discs may be used, as well as any desired number of the metal discs.

It will be understood that my improved spring door hinge and check may be used as a plain, butt, or semi-butt hinge, and that small openings, if desired, may be formed in the casing, for the purpose of oiling the mechanism without the necessity of disassembling the hinge.

While I have illustrated and described the invention in some detail, it is to be understood that the invention is not to be limited to such details;

but only by the spirit of the inventionand the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A spring door' hinge and check of the character described, comprising left and right hinge leaves with interlocking, integrally formed casing portions, spring means for braking the door as it opens, and spring means for closing the door automatically at a uniform rate of speed.

2. A spring door hingei-and check of the character described, comprising left and right hinge leaves with interlocking, integrally formed rcasing portions, adjustable spring means for braking the door as it opens, and adjustable spring means for closing the door automatically at a uniform rate of speed.

3. A spring door; hinge and check of the character described, comprising left and right hinge leaves with interlocking, integrally formed cas ing portions, adjustable spring means for braking the door to a stop as it opens, and exterior adjustable spring means for closing the door automatically at a uniform rate of speed.

4. A spring door hinge and check of the character described, comprising left and right hinge leaves with interlocking, integrally formed casing portions, means for braking the door as it opens, said means comprising aseriesof alternately disposed metal and composition discs, one series of the metal discs being adapted to rotate under pressure against the non-rotating composition discs, and means for closing the door automatically at a uniform rate of speed.

5. A spring dooiwhinge and check of the character described, comprising left and right hinge leaves with interlocking, integrally formed casing portions, means for braking the door as it opens, said means comprising a series of alternately disposed metal and composition discs, said disc series and the individual discs thereof being maintained at. a constant pressure when the door is closed by means of a slotted bolt and spiral spring.

6. A spring door hinge and check of the character described, comprising left and right hinge leaves withinterlocking, integrally formed casing portions, a plurality of alternately disposed metal and fibre discs normally maintained under constant spring pressure, spring means for exerting pressure on said discs as door is being opened, to obtain a braking effect and spring means for closing the door at a uniform rate of speed.

MURRAY W. HENRY. 

